splayed legs, a frown of concentration on her face as she daubed iodine onto the cut under my eyebrow. One of her wilder punches had torn a stitch. A satisfied smile played around her lips. She poked her tongue out a little as she concentrated and then done, sat back, her hands palm up on her thighs. The satin gown she'd thrown on, open to the edge of her nipples. The right nipple kept winking in and out. I was getting horny again. She closed the gown with a look.
“Forget it.”
“Okay, I was just thinking.”
“I know what you were thinking, and forget it.” She waved the cotton bud at my eye like a conductor wielding a baton. “You deserved it.”
“I know I did. I'm an idiot.”
“Yes.” She nodded twice deliberately. “You are.” Her eyes steady going with it. “There won't be a next time, you understand me. Next time I won't open the door, because I'll be gone”.
“I know.”
“I mean it, Chance, and I still want you to leave the business.”
“I have to clear up the mess we're in and then after...”
“After, there'll be another mess and another. There always is. You don't tell me what you do with the family and I understand that. I'm not sure I want to know, but I read the papers. I read who's been killed for this or that. I read who's disappeared...”
“Uncle Mike has disappeared. He's been kidnapped and the ransom is a 100 million.”
“Oh.” The cotton bud baton came to a rest on her thigh. “I like Uncle Mike.”
“We all do. Por isn't dead but he's in a coma and he's lost a leg. Someone has been making a move on our territory, a new gang. Now you know what I know. Now do you understand why I can't quit right now?”
“A hundred million baht?”
“No, US.”
“Wow. Do you have that much?”
“Wow, yes, and yes we have that much. It'll wipe us out but if we can't find him first we'll pay.”
“Let me help.”
“I will. Tomorrow you need to go back to the funeral. Take a seat near the reporters and leave your phone on the seat when you go to burn incense for me.”
“Okay, but why?”
“Because your phone is going to have photos of a dead me on it and I need the papers to think that it’s real.”
“You think the reporters will steal my phone? Sorry. Dumb question.”
“It's about the only thing I am sure about. And be careful moving around Bangkok in the couple of days. Someone shot Seh Daeng in the head earlier tonight, and he's not likely to survive. It's going to get bloody out there.”
“I don't get why you want people to think you're dead after you spread the rumor that you're alive.”
“We still don't know who is attacking us. I want them unsure of whether I am dead or alive. If they're sure I'm dead they may make a move that forces me to have to come back from the dead, but if they're not sure, they'll wait. Them waiting gives us time. Honestly, I don’t know if it is helping or not. Just something I can do.”
“Zombie.”
“That's me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Keep tracking the phones. Find the boat, and tomorrow I've got to go to Singapore.”
“Singapore? Why?”
“I've got Samuel Harper stuff to get done, and I need to clear some of our funds over there. I'll only be gone a day. Fly out in the morning and back in the evening.”
“So I'll see you tomorrow night?” She fixed me with a heavy lidded stare.
“Not sure. Okay? The situation is pretty fluid. I'm following leads where they take me, so I can't promise because I don't know. If I'm not getting anywhere I'll come back here. Is that good enough?”
“Yes.”
I held my arms out and she came in for a hug. I whispered in her ear. “Can you make me some coffee? I've got to get work tracing those phone numbers.” I felt her head move downwards in a nod. We stayed like that for a while.
***
The house in Lat Phrao is one
“Forget it.”
“Okay, I was just thinking.”
“I know what you were thinking, and forget it.” She waved the cotton bud at my eye like a conductor wielding a baton. “You deserved it.”
“I know I did. I'm an idiot.”
“Yes.” She nodded twice deliberately. “You are.” Her eyes steady going with it. “There won't be a next time, you understand me. Next time I won't open the door, because I'll be gone”.
“I know.”
“I mean it, Chance, and I still want you to leave the business.”
“I have to clear up the mess we're in and then after...”
“After, there'll be another mess and another. There always is. You don't tell me what you do with the family and I understand that. I'm not sure I want to know, but I read the papers. I read who's been killed for this or that. I read who's disappeared...”
“Uncle Mike has disappeared. He's been kidnapped and the ransom is a 100 million.”
“Oh.” The cotton bud baton came to a rest on her thigh. “I like Uncle Mike.”
“We all do. Por isn't dead but he's in a coma and he's lost a leg. Someone has been making a move on our territory, a new gang. Now you know what I know. Now do you understand why I can't quit right now?”
“A hundred million baht?”
“No, US.”
“Wow. Do you have that much?”
“Wow, yes, and yes we have that much. It'll wipe us out but if we can't find him first we'll pay.”
“Let me help.”
“I will. Tomorrow you need to go back to the funeral. Take a seat near the reporters and leave your phone on the seat when you go to burn incense for me.”
“Okay, but why?”
“Because your phone is going to have photos of a dead me on it and I need the papers to think that it’s real.”
“You think the reporters will steal my phone? Sorry. Dumb question.”
“It's about the only thing I am sure about. And be careful moving around Bangkok in the couple of days. Someone shot Seh Daeng in the head earlier tonight, and he's not likely to survive. It's going to get bloody out there.”
“I don't get why you want people to think you're dead after you spread the rumor that you're alive.”
“We still don't know who is attacking us. I want them unsure of whether I am dead or alive. If they're sure I'm dead they may make a move that forces me to have to come back from the dead, but if they're not sure, they'll wait. Them waiting gives us time. Honestly, I don’t know if it is helping or not. Just something I can do.”
“Zombie.”
“That's me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Keep tracking the phones. Find the boat, and tomorrow I've got to go to Singapore.”
“Singapore? Why?”
“I've got Samuel Harper stuff to get done, and I need to clear some of our funds over there. I'll only be gone a day. Fly out in the morning and back in the evening.”
“So I'll see you tomorrow night?” She fixed me with a heavy lidded stare.
“Not sure. Okay? The situation is pretty fluid. I'm following leads where they take me, so I can't promise because I don't know. If I'm not getting anywhere I'll come back here. Is that good enough?”
“Yes.”
I held my arms out and she came in for a hug. I whispered in her ear. “Can you make me some coffee? I've got to get work tracing those phone numbers.” I felt her head move downwards in a nod. We stayed like that for a while.
***
The house in Lat Phrao is one
Similar Books
